When We Forget to Remember
by Lonely in Russia
Summary: {rated R for later chapters and swearing} After the war, the pilot's memories are erased and they are each sent back to where they came from. However, Duo joins a team of assassins whom two of his former friends have been sent to find, and kill.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, or anything to do with Gundam Wing – with the exception of a few DVDs and manga =P – and I am not making any money out of this, so please don't sue me! Song lyrics belong to; Stacie Orrico; System of a Down; VNV Nation, MXPX and Foo Fighters.

And just a note; It's been so long since I've watched Gundam Wing, but I have a vague recollection of a colony blowing up…if it did, then forget it did, it hasn't in this fic. If it didn't…then what the hell did I put in my coffee this morning? And also, although Relena is still in control of the planet and colony, there are still many secret wars going on.

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Full summary: After the war, the pilot's memories are erased and they are each sent back to where they came from. However, Duo joins teams with a gang of murderers, which two of his former friends have been sent to find and eliminate.

When We Forget to Remember

Prologue

There is no way to erase memories, there is no easy way out of knowing what we have done and seen in the past. But sometimes, our memories are buried, lying in wait for the first chance they get to escape and plague us with the fears that we have tried so hard to crush. They are never gone, they are just hiding. Waiting and waiting, until something stirs them and causes them to rise.

"Is that the last one?" came a hoarse voice as the owner slammed the door shut behind him. His companion nodded and tossed the keys in his hand.

"The last one. We'd better get outta here fast, it's a pretty rough area," he stated, before glancing pitifully back at the door. "Man, you'd have thought that if they took his memories, they could at least have put him back somewhere a little decent, the others too. I mean, they're war heroes, right?" he looked at his partner, seeing him loading his gun and hesitating before doing the same. His partner shrugged and removed a bullet from between his teeth.

"They _were_ war heroes, but now they won't know that, so I guess none of them are gonna feel bitter about being put back in a dump like this. Although, this is the worst, I agree, at least the other four lived relatively decent lives."

"I guess. What they don't know can't hurt them, I suppose," was the reply, as the two men walked back to their vehicle. "Does anybody know what the professors are doing with their Gundams?"

"No, but I doubt they'll dispose of them, they'll probably sell them as war memorabilia. But it's not our place to question that. Our job was to put the pilots back where they came from, we've done that, now we can go home."

* * *

__

'There's gotta be more to life

Than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me.

'Cause the more that I'm

Tripping out thinking there must be more to life,

Well it's life,

But I'm sure…

There's gotta be more.'

The place stank. Granted, he had never known otherwise, but still Duo Maxwell could not fail to notice the dirt and grime that covered the walls, floor and ceiling of his apartment. At least he didn't spend long enough there to really have to put up with it. He ran a callused hand through his fringe and sat up, slowly pushing himself off the worn and faded sofa, wading through the junk that littered the floor. It wasn't as if he were a messy person, he just didn't put things away, or wash anything. He never needed to wash his clothes, whenever he needed a new outfit he stole one, and the old one was discarded carelessly on his apartment floor, gradually becoming part of the floor itself, just like its predecessors.

He pulled a beer out of the fridge, the light flickering on and off when the door was opened. Duo didn't care whether his fridge was thirteen years old or not, it kept the beer cool. That was all that mattered. Beer was his escape, escape from the life that he had suddenly been thrown into - of course, his memory said that this was the way things had always been; stealing things just to stay alive, walking everywhere with a gun so that you could shoot the other guy rather than _be _shot, being on the wrong side of the law in everything that you knew and did. But Duo's body was still trying, after all those years of this life, to adjust to the lack of food and the stress exerted on him every night and every day. He flipped the can open and put it to his lips, the liquid cooling his entire body as he drank it. There were few pleasures in life, and those that there were, were abused and greedily sought after. Duo idly wondered where he had stolen this can from. Probably from the shopping basket of some poor person in a supermarket who had just paid for it.

Did Duo feel guilty? No. He did what he had to do to survive and God help anyone who got in his way. Not that God did, mind, most of the people that had gotten in the way of Duo and his means of survival ended up not surviving much longer themselves, and Duo had the memories to prove it. Didn't he?

The brunette swung his braid over his shoulder and pulled back the moth eaten cloth that covered the cracked window overlooking the street beneath his apartment. As usual the road was empty, save for a few smashed up cars whose owners had been stupid enough to park them out there. Old newspapers littered the floor and were blown about by a small breeze. Duo wondered who around here even bothered to read the newspapers, they were full with stupid stories about how well the government was doing in trying to improve the conditions in the slums. Duo knew first hand that nobody with any sort of political power had stepped on these streets in the last ten or so years.

He thought back to the church that used to be situated about a mile away. True, there were some people who had the right to live, and the braided boy smiled as he thought about Father Maxwell. There were good people on L2. But then Duo remembered what had happened to the church and he scowled. At least, there _had _been good people on L2. It seemed that the colony was the true hell of the universe; nobody with a good heart survived there for very long. Kill, or be killed; wasn't that the saying?

* * *

__

'I don't think you trust in my

Self-righteous suicide

I cry

When angels deserve to die.'

Heero Yuy stared out of the window at the storm. Drops of water cascaded down the glass and bolts of purple fire shot through the sky. A shiver ran through him and he allowed himself to smile, just slightly. He loved watching this; it was as if he were part of it. Part of the battle raging in the clouds, part of the chaos that nobody could control and yet everybody was caught up in. It was like a war. Standing inside his house he felt a thrill run through him and he was reminded once again why he was a soldier. There was a thrill and pleasure in war and fighting that outdid any kind of emotional or sexual pleasure; it was wholesome and it encompassed one's soul so fully and so heavily that it drowned out the pain of the life and memories you had left behind.

After a while, the storm died down, and the empty space that lingered between each bolt of lightening and each crash of thunder became longer and longer, and finally regained control over the world. Now the rain that fell was all that was left as testament of the storm.

Heero slowly felt the thrill of the storm leaving his body, and he turned from the window to his laptop. He clicked the 'on' button and the whir of the machine filled the silence of the room, a noise that the soldier was accustomed to and one that never ceased to offer a comfortable familiarity in the bleak apartment.

A message icon flashed up on the screen and Heero clicked it, scrolling through the list of emails and deleting any that he found irrelevant. His eyes caught a subject and he frowned. 'Mission offer?' he thought, hesitantly opening the email. Soldier's weren't normally given individual missions over the internet, but then, Heero wasn't a normal solider. He scanned the email and his eyes went wide. It was from the one of the agencies in the oriental east. Turning his nose up slightly when he saw that he would be travelling to L2, he clicked open the attachment that held all of the information on the gang he was being asked to 'dispose' of. It was an assassination group, 'As if I'd expect anything else from L2,' the soldier thought bitterly. Besides that, there were the usual drug related offences that were common from the gangs of the space colony, and Heero was more interested in the profile of the officer he would be working with. Wufei Chang. The name sounded familiar, but Heero just dismissed it, deciding that this Chang guy had probably been in the news recently for something. The two soldiers were to be transported to L2 and then track down the gang, which, in Heero's opinion, wouldn't be too hard. The L2 gangs had a habit of boasting about their 'achievements', so Heero was quite sure that they'd catch wind of the assassins sooner or later.

Making a mental note of all the details in the email, he then deleted it and shut down the laptop, leaning back in his chair and stretching slightly. His cobalt eyes flickered shut and he stifled a yawn. Perhaps he should get some sleep. Glancing at the clock he noticed that it was 3am; just how long had he been watching the storm? Shrugging, Heero stood up and made his way over to the bed, throwing back the covers and lying down, hoping that sleep would come quickly and silently tonight. He couldn't deal with the nightmares right now; not that he ever remembered what they were about, anyway, but he knew he had them, and he needed to sleep before setting off for L2. Sighing, he closed his eyes and felt his consciousness fading away. Soon he lay silent and asleep.

* * *

__

'Stand your ground this is what we are fighting for. For our spirit and laws and ways.  
  
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. For heaven or hell we shall not wait.  
  
Shall I think of honour as lies or lament it's aged slow demise?  
  
Shall I stand as a cold reminder on this day in this stone chamber?'

'There is no honour in running away,' Chang Wufei thought to himself as he watched the figure running, stumbling, across the field. This was a deserter. They had been sent to fight, but this man was running away. Wufei raised his dagger hand, and, with a flick of his wrist, the deserter fell, the dagger protruding from between his shoulder blades. Whilst many of the others around him shook their heads and muttered that they didn't see what good could come of it, Wufei did not. He had been taught from an early age that running away was an act of injustice, and that justice must be served on all those who deserted their country. He knew that when this battle was over, many people would berate him for killing one of their own, but he wasn't going to stick around long enough to hear it. He had a mission on L2 that, for a long time, would be foremost on his mind, and by the time he got back, those that had been fighting alongside him would be dead. It always happened that way. Wufei never fought with the same people for very long, they let emotions get in the way of fighting and they paid the price, with their lives. Wufei fought for honour and justice. That was his life; justice was his deity and honour his messiah.

He was interested in his new partner, the man with whom he would be working on L2, word had it that the guy was almost as ruthless as Wufei when it came to killing people, and Chang hoped that it was true; finally he would be able to get on with a mission without worrying about his comrades bailing on him.

With a swing of his blade, the last enemy was dead.

* * *

__

'I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way

'Cause growing up won't make everything okay

I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way

I've got a voice and I've got a lot to say'

Quatre Raberba Winner felt a tear slide down his face as he stared at the portrait of his sister. His father had told him that she died in the war, but he hadn't bought it. The prince didn't even remember a war.

Wiping his cheek he glanced around his room and sighed. Everything in it was exquisite and only served to remind him that he was an Arabian prince. He didn't want to be a prince; sure he had lots of money, but he'd rather live somewhere, as a peasant, and have lots of friends, than have to wander around his house at night, alone, after waking from troubled dreams.

But he knew that he had a duty, and as long as he was alive, he would have to serve his country. Or rather, have his country serve him. He stood and walked over to the arch of the balcony, where, instead of a door, there was a silk curtain of rich purple and gold that flew and shimmered in the evening breeze. Pushing it aside Quatre walked over to the concrete railing and leaned his elbows on it, staring out across the vast city. To the left he could see a desert, and his heart yearned to be free from his confinement, to actually _do _something with his life, but then he saw the lights from the windows in the city and an iron fist closed over his heart. He had never, and would never, be free.

* * *

__

'Coming down I'm coming round  
  
This time I think I'm waking up  
  
Give me loud to drown it out   
  
Before the world starts breaking up   
  
You change and then you change again   
  
Turning like a wheel inside your head   
  
Yours and mine and left and right   
  
There's still two sides to everyone   
  
You and I get on with life   
  
And pray we'll find a better one'

A loud round of applause filled the air and Trowa Barton bowed before walking out of the circus ring. He took off his costume and snuck out of the tent, heading over to his motorcycle, which was tucked neatly away next to a small grove of trees. He needed to get out of this place and train. Being in a circus was all very well, but when you were also a security officer, taming lions did not improve your fighting skills; okay, so it should do, but one could not fence with a lion.

As the wind blew through his hair, Trowa thought with a heavy heart about the execution that was planned for a few months time. Every officer was being trained especially hard because Soldiers from L1 and Earth were bringing in some of the biggest criminals from L2, and they had learnt the hard way that if you weren't prepared…well…let's just say they weren't going to risk that happening again.

The execution was so important that the highest politicians and royal families had been invited to watch it. Trowa thought that it was all a bit superfluous, why couldn't they just shoot the bastards as soon as they found them? 'Because they like seeing people suffer,' his mind replied for him, and he sighed. Pulling up in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse, Trowa got off his bike and took a deep breath. He had a feeling that something was going to happen soon, and he didn't think that he was going to like it.

* * *

Well! What did you think? R&R please! I'd really like to know if you like it or not. Also, constructive criticism – such as telling me if there are any major plot holes – is welcome.


	2. Chapter One

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When We Forget to Remember

Chapter One

C o l d v o i c e s f a c e s p a l e   
G a t h e r e d u n t o t h e i r j u d g e m e n t d a y

"C'mon Duo, get up, baka."

Silence greeted the voice, as the apartment, for one reason or another, seemed disinclined to start up a conversation.

"Come on Duo. Up! Move!"

Still nothing. Duo wondered if he was ever going to get out of bed…well, off the couch. Groaning, he managed to roll himself onto his side, and another roll made him fall off the couch and onto the floor. And, was that last night's dinner? Sighing, he sat up, looking around, taking in the shabby place he called 'home' although he didn't need to. It was imprinted on his mind, as were the streets of L2, and the passageways underground, and everything else about the place he lived. There were only a few times he could ever remember feeling ashamed of living like he did, and this was one of them. He wished that he could get out of here, possibly go to earth, or L1, either would be better than this hell. But Duo was convinced that he had done something wrong in another life, and that was why, at fifteen years old, he was forced to beg, steal and…hurt. He hurt so much inside, knowing that he didn't really deserve this but not quite understanding why.

There was a story inside every person that Duo knew, a reason why they were who they were, and a abhorrent hate of people for what they had done to them. There was no happiness that Duo could see as he walked down the street that was genuine, just people trying to enjoy the life that had been handed to them. As Duo passed the spot where the Maxwell church used to stand, he wondered who decided how someone should live. If there was a god he was looking forward to giving him a piece of his mind before he went to hell, there was nothing he could see in any of the people around him that made them deserve to live like this. Nothing they had done wrong that meant they were the trash of the earth.

J u s t m o t h e r s t o s t a n d i n v a i n a n d c r y   
T e a r s a n d m e d a l s i n t h e r a i n   
S h a l l I r e c a l l w h e n j u s t i c e d i d p r e v a i l ?  
N o r e a s o n t o b e f o u n d w h y r e a s o n d i d f a i l

Duo could hear the gang before he saw them. Turning into the alley he climbed up on the dustbins and swung himself through the broken window above him. Dropping to the floor silently he made his way down the stairs and into the basement of the house, nodding to a young boy who gave him a quick glance, smiled and let him into the room.

"Duo! Man, we thought you'd never get your ass here, you sleep in 'gain?" said a man, about three years older than Duo, with blonde hair that fell over his face and deep, dark, blue eyes.

"Sleep? You mean that thing that you can only do properly on comfortable beds? Sleep, that thing you can only do properly on something I don't have?" Duo remarked, snatching a cigarette out of the hands of one of the other gang member and sitting down. 

"Well, you don't look tired, if that any consolation," said the blonde. Duo smiled his trademark smile.

"You mean those weren't bags under my eyes I saw this morning? Great!" he shook his head and laughed lightly. "So, what're the plans for today?"

The blonde sighed.

"Not sure, I think Jei wants to lie low for a while until those cops from Earth and L1 have stopped looking for us and left. Though, I ain't sure what he thinks he's doing, they ain't just gonna give up, ya know what I'm saying?"

Duo nodded.

"But he don't wanna give them an easy way of finding us, Adam, that's why he's saying to lie low."

"Yeah, well, I don't like it. I wanna DO something, man, I'm tired of just sitting round here on my ass all day, know what I'm saying?"

Duo sighed, taking a drag on the cigarette. He looked round at the other gang members, they were talking, cleaning their knives and guns, and a few in the corner were playing cards. He knew sooner or later that they were going to get bored and Jei would have to give them something to do.

"I know what you're thinking," came a voice from behind him. Duo jumped. Jei didn't have a sharp or menacing voice, just a very distinct one that sort of made you shiver. Duo shifted over so that Jei could sit next to him on the tatty couch that the gang had stolen a few years ago. "We can't, Duo, I know the boys aren't gonna like it if they have to sit around here, but I'm not going to risk the cops getting a lead on where we are. Hell, we have a death sentence, that's what they're gonna do when they catch us, not just put us in jail."

Duo nodded and glanced up at Jei. The other man was about three years older than he was, and Duo had no doubt as to why Jei was the leader of the gang. He was good looking and very charismatic, but he was also very stern at times, and his eyes were so black that people said if you looked into his eyes to see his soul, that's what you'd see; black. Duo doubted _that_, however, Jei was a good guy, not ruthless, just desperate and loyal, caring. He wanted his friends to eat, to have a place to sleep and to be able to protect themselves, he was probably the only one out of them who cared who they stole from. He wouldn't let them take from other peasants, he said that was wrong. He'd only let them steal from the rich and greedy.

Duo blinked when he realised that he was staring into Jei's black eyes.

"Dude, you need to sleep more, you keep just spacing out like that," Jei said, shaking his head. Suddenly, the group of guys in the corner got up, walking towards the door. Duo, Jei and Adam walked swiftly over to the door, Jei standing with his arms folder, Duo on his right and Adam on his left. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked coldly, narrowing his eyes.

"Jei, man, we need summat to eat, we won't bring any attention to us, promise man."

Jei scowled but saw that the rest of the gang had fallen silent and were now looking over at them.

"…ok. But be quick, and bring back something for everyone else," he stated, moving out of the way of the door. The few boys nodded and left.

"Man, you gotta stop givin' into people like that. They gonna start thinking you soft, know what-"

"YES we know what you're saying," Duo said, sighing loudly.

Jei smiled and put a hand on Duo's shoulder. Duo smiled back. Life wasn't so bad when you had friends.

---------------

Heero rolled his eyes as his partner stepped off the plane. _Great, one of those guys who goes about waving a Katana in everyone's face and demanding justice. _The man looked about the room and spotted Heero, nodding and walking over to him. He bowed.

"My name is Chang Wufei," he greeted, standing up straight with his arms clasped behind his back. Heero nodded. 

"Heero Yui."

The other man, Wufei, nodded.

"Are you ready to start?" Wufei questioned, his expression blank but his body language implying that he was impatient. Heero was a bit taken aback, he wasn't planning on his partner being quite as eager as he was, but he nodded.

"Yes. I have arranged a car, and mapped out the parts of the colony we will need to keep a close watch on. Our best bet is to follow a member of the gang back to the hide out and then capture them all there."

He led Wufei out of the airport and to the car that he had hired whilst on L2. He paid the keeper – Keepers are people that look after people's cars whilst they're parked – and they got in, driving in silence to one of the places Heero had marked on a map of L2. On the way there, Heero noted with gratitude how quiet his partner was. That was good, it meant he wouldn't have to put up with any pointless conversation, something he hated immensely.

When Heero reached the main shopping area of L2, he parked the car and rolled up the windows, which were, naturally, tinted black.

"Why have you marked this place?" asked his companion, and he turned to look at him.

"Because this is the store," he pointed to a supermarket, "that they usually rob for food."

Wufei raised a thin eyebrow.

"They stick to one store?" he asked.

Heero nodded.

"Yes, the inhabitants of L2 have stopped bothering to care about what they steal, so they don't need to find anywhere else," he looked back towards the shop and froze. He quickly picked up a file from on top of the dashboard and flicked through the pages, glancing up at the shop every few seconds. "That's them," he said at last, pointing to four people on the pages. "They've just gone into the shop."

He got out of the car and Wufei did the same. When Heero saw the boys coming out of the shop, a few bags in their hands, he nodded at Wufei and they started walking along the pavement on the other side of the road. They walked a few metres apart so that it would appear they were on their own and not together. When the youths turned into an alleyway, Heero cursed and sharply crossed the street, standing with his back to the wall and turning his head to peer around the corner. Wufei crossed as well and walked past the entrance to the alley, inclining his head to stare into it. He stopped and nodded at Heero who stepped into the alley.

"Did you see where they went?" he asked. Wufei nodded and climbed on top of some dustbins.

"Through that window," he replied, grabbing onto a metal bar and pulling himself up, looking through the window before entering it and dropping down onto the floor. Heero followed him, pulling out his gun as he landed.

"Where now?" he asked, walking to the door. "Down there, there are some stairs."

He walked out of the door, pointing his gun first to his left, then to his right before slowly stepping down the stairs. They both froze when they heard voices and Wufei looked over the banister.

"There's a kid guarding the door," he mouthed to Heero, and his partner nodded, pulling a small capsule out of his pocket. He twisted the top part and tossed it over the banister. When they heard the thud of an unconscious body falling to the ground, they continued down the stairs, holding their breath until they were sure that the gas had dissipated enough for them to breath.

"They're in there," Wufei whispered quietly.

Heero nodded and pulled out another gun.

"On the count of three. One…two…three…"

He kicked the door open and ran into the room.

"Everybody freeze!" 


End file.
